Thursday, September 29, 2011

Madonna & Child: Interpreted catalog


The earliest depiction of the Madonna and Child is said to be found in the Catacomb of Priscilla, Rome. This wall painting shows a seated Madonna suckling her Child, who turns his head to focus on the audience. The pictorial or sculptural representation of Madonna and Child is one of, if not the most, interpreted subject in Christian art; especially in Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

Thousands of years later the artistic likeness has evolved into interpretations that remain traditional to the Christian faith, as well as, depictions that push the boundaries of both the visual and the narrative meaning of Madonna and Child. Mother earth and her many children, the real relationship between mother and son or parent and child and the more traditional depiction, all permeate the artistic interpretations of today's artist. Christians, Jews, Atheists and many more find a reason and comfort in depicting this most iconic of Christian Art. To some it may seem sacrilegious but many people can relate to the iconic imagery of Madonna and Child, even in a secular way.

The beauty of this exhibition, Madonna and Child: Interpreted, is that it represents a wide visual and emotional spectrum of artistic representation and translation of this iconic subject. In 1997 I created my own photographic interpretation of Madonna and Child; in 2009 I saw an interpretation by artist Travis Reichardt and knew I had to have it to display next to my depiction. This got me thinking about the interest of a Madonna and Child: Interpreted themed exhibition. Thirty two artists, thirty two interpretations, an exhibition was born.

Along with this exhibition is a catalog which includes three origin essays interpreting the subject of Madonna & Child by writers Mary Dally-Muenzmaier, David Press and Michelle PG Richardson. Proceeds from the sale of the catalog will go to the Grand Avenue Club in Milwaukee. The catalog will be on sale at the opening of this exhibition, Friday, October 21 from 5-10pm at Soup's On/Gallery H20, Milwaukee and on-line at createspace dot com.




Sunday, September 11, 2011

Analog Photo Seminar

Please consider joined Troy Freund, one of the nicest individuals in the Milwaukee photo community, as he hosts an  "Analog Photo Seminar" at Cardinal Stritch University. Even though most of the photography market has swung to digital capture, there are still photographers who enjoy film. Troy has invited 3 large-format photographers to come and present their work and do small demo shoots for the audience. It looks like an informative and fun event. This event should be of interest to photographers, professional creatives and people interested in art history and the creative process.

You can visit Troy's blog for more information and to sign up for this very interesting day of photography and networking with others in your profession.